Does The FBI Really Use Surveillance Vans With WiFi SSIDs Saying 'FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN'?

from the not-sure-i-believe-it... dept

Danny was the first of a few of you to send in variations on the story of Tampa police arresting a teenager, Jared Cano, for allegedly plotting to blow up a local high school. The police were apparently tipped off by someone. However, what resulted in the submission is the note in the article about a posting on Cano's Facebook page from a few days ago, in which he claims that he saw an SSID for "FBI_SURVEILLANCE VAN":

This is leading lots of people to ask just how stupid the FBI is for having such an SSID. The thing is... I doubt this is really true. There's no confirmation of it other than this kid saying it, and it doesn't sound like it was the FBI who investigated and arrested him in the first place. And while we've certainly seen the FBI do some crazy and clueless things at times over the years, I have a hard time believing that anyone there would ever be so clueless as to set up an open WiFi with that SSID.

my favorite tongue in cheek ssid...

Seen this repeatedly...

I've seen a number of "FBI (whatever)" SSIDs.

I'm in Canada. The FBI has neither jurisdiction nor presence here.

It's just people name their access points random things. When I lived in an apartment the crack dealer on the second floor (I think, anyway--the SSID went away when he moved) had his named "Secret Service", and another person had one named "Playboy Mansion". I'm also pretty sure that there was no Playboy Mansion in that neighbourhood.

My home WIFI is called "Police Surveillance Van" and I noticed the other day a police car sat outside my house for about 30 minutes, just sitting in their car. I think my crazy neighbour called them, haha.

Re:

Oddly enough, you can name your own SSID anything you want... and among the geek 1337 crowd it isn't uncommon to name the outward facing SSID something like this. Or things like, pussyforhire, GOV_URBAN_SILO_127, FBI_SAFEHOUSE_127, CHURCH_OF_SATAN_WIFI, and so on. Just to troll people that look at SSID names.

Probably not, but..

"..Surveillance Vans With WiFi SSIDs Saying 'FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN.."

I'm tempted to set up a wireless OpenSource honeypot server with that SSID just for fun. Fake the OS fingerprint. Spoof the IP and MAC. The data collected over a 6 month period would be interesting to say the least. And the answer to the next question is NO. I refuse to share the data with law enforcement. It will be for my own amusement. And only then, I will share the details exclusively with open-source and bit-torrent communities for security research. Screw DHS! God-Damn secret police bastards. I hate those over-funded bungholes! Only thing they're missing are the StormTrooper Nazi Helmets. ;P

"..Surveillance Vans With WiFi SSIDs Saying 'FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN.."

And yes! FBI and DHS are the same. Just differently funded corporate agencies under the same fu**ing umbrella. I miss the days when we only had to deal with just the FBI. Now it's DHS, NSA, CIA, and every other friggen letter in the English alphabet. Democracy, the original US Constitution with the bill of rights I love. The people currently running the so called US democracy need to be fired and prevented from ever consorting or participating in government for the rest of their bribe-taking, sorry ass lives. };P

Re: Re: New ideas for SSID?

Scary WiFi Names

I wrote an article on this subjest this year. These are just names people make up for thier access points to scare people away. The FBI do not broadcast the SSID of the access points they use. So no it is not the FBI.
Please read my article HERE http://www.ufofreebandclub.com/blog/?p=1193

Re:

Surveillance van

I remember one night several weeks ago I was attempting to set up a wi-fi connection to a computer in the far end of the house from where the router is, and as I was trying to connect with the router I noticed several names, including the one for our router, and among them was one for "wi-fi surveillance van." I checked a few minutes later and the surveillance van was gone.

Incidentally, I never did get the connection to work properly, apparently I was out of range of the router. I ended up going back to Ethernet.

FBI survelliance w/ WIFI

Just got a screen shot from a friend of mine that shows FBI Van #189 as the only other WIFI selection besides his home connection. He lives out in the boonies with the next closest house a few miles away. REALLY? You tell me!

There's our problem ... the Constitution set up a Republic (Thus, Ben Franklin's famous quote, “A Republic, if you can keep it.” and the pledge of allegiance ..."to the Republic for which it stands")... but the corrupt power-mongers have dummied us down to believe that we are supposed to be a Democracy. Rome fell when it evolved from a Republic to a Democracy!
However, I completely agree that the corrupt, unconstitutional gov't that now rules goes out of its way to be a tyrannical police state!!!

f.b.i ssid

i have sat outside on my laptop alot. and tonight i come out and there is a f.b.i surveillance on my wifi. never has been there before. kind of freaks me out. course i am not doing anything illegal. but still makes me wonder why big brother is watching and who they are watching.

hmm?

Found an Fbi Surveillance van on my Wireless list

HEHE. I was checking the list of Wirless networks on my netbook at home. I was surprised that one of them was named FBI Surveillance Van ID ####. It was security enabled so I guess I can join it not that I would want to. but it did kinda freek me out. I have noticed large vans on my block from time to time.

to the poster two posts above, I have the same exact wifi name on my list Fbi Surveillance van ID 9429. Man the fact that yours has the same ID # as mine is even freakier. And I also posted above but made an error, I said it was security enabled but I can't join it not can. So this is just plain Weird.

Re: Hmmm

i call bull shit..

listen people.. common sence should tell you that the SSDI-FBI SURVALENCE VAN IS JUST SOME RANDOM PERSON WHO MADE IT,IT IS NOT THE FBI FOR REAL.THINK ABOUT IT, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS NOT GOING TO OPENLY AND PUBLICLY LOG ON TO THE INTERNET ON A UNSECURE NETWORK.IF THEY WERE DOING SURVALENCE YOU WOULD NOT KNOW ABOUT IT

FBI Survaillance Vans

I have seen it while living in the middle of nowhere in Michigan, again in Florida and now today in Michigan again in a totally different city. I think this is real. 'FBI Surveillance Van #3', 'CIA Net' etc. 3 times in 2 different cities, same format, same look. This sh*t is real brothers.

totally smart moves

I have seen fbi surveillance van and similar SSID's, I name mine something that clearly states my intentions towards an intruder....LULZ....as in I'll get great LULZ from punishing any network offender, though it's secured with wpa2 enterprise and MAC addy specific, so there will be no entry by unauthorized persons, though I still enjoy know anyone who even looks at it will get a chill if they know whats good for them.

i just bought a Verizon mifi off of ebay and the newtowb is name FBI Surveillance Van #12...trippy...well today I changed the network name and what do ya know the SSID is the same thing. I do not like it.

While this too is an anecdote, I too have seen "FBI Surveillance Van 2" while at work in Austin, TX. In fact, it was so bizarre, and because I suspected it was a hoax, it prompted to search the web. To my astonishment, I not only found this but several pages of the same. Never, ever discount the idiocy of the gov't. Way to blow your cover

Its real.

The only reason I care is because I may or may not have torrented photoshop (For finishing classwork in my computers class) and the next morning that popped up. Needless to say I DELETED the file, and everything.

Re: Perhaps not confirmation, but...

We've had an older van in front of our duplex two nights in a row now.the van left this morning and the MobileSurveillanceFBI wifi left then returned with it tonight. I'm not paranoid and have nothing to fear but it is strange. We had a motercycle stollen two weeks ago. I'd like to think they're keeping an eye on that if anything. Lol

Re: Perhaps not confirmation, but...

We've had an older van in front of our duplex two nights in a row now.the van left this morning and the MobileSurveillanceFBI wifi left then returned with it tonight. I'm not paranoid and have nothing to fear but it is strange. We had a motercycle stollen two weeks ago. I'd like to think they're keeping an eye on that if anything. Lol

Reply: also

this has occurred serveral times at many locations it pops up and then vanishes. but only when u try to add a wireless device. the system shows it as locked. If it is them then they are being smart to put out there that it is spoofing and that you are not to believe it. this would allow them to hijack and listen in with everyone ignoring it.

i got it

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Aug 18th, 2011 @ 2:23pm

No, not Everyone knows that. Mine is name FBI surveillance. Operation for my cell phones wi-Fi hotspots. I work at a restaurant. And I have people ask me All The Time if we are really under actual surveillance. It's hilarious!

ssid name listed as FBI on my wireless

Ok so a few days ago I noticed on my wireless network a few more ssid listed, one of them shocked me it just was listed as
FBIsurveillance ...it has popped up on and off different hours of the day. Also noticed a lot more traffic around my neighborhood , unfamiliar vehicles just cruising by...
Should I be worried ?
I took a picture of the ssid name and the people I've shown are baffled

okay its happening to me.. fbi surveillance on my network

FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN SSID

It's real. I first noticed this phenomenon when I moved to Los Angeles about a year and a half ago... I war trying to jump online to check email at a friends house and saw it listed as an access point and thought it was hilarious. a few weeks later in a completely different part of town I saw another and thought it was a funny coincidence. After that I started noticing that no matter where I went in Los Angeles County or Orange County there was an FBI SV access point. my day job is internet security so I looked into it, made a few calls and found out that it is real and the only reason they use such an obvious name is for legal purposes so as to claim that their acknowledgement/advertisement of their presence constitutes one part of their legal argument for their right to sniff traffic, since anyone who tries to connect to the and sees this ssid should no longer have any "expectation of privacy"... Or some such nightmarish Orwellian double-speak authoritarian bullshit. Go to my website people. use encryption. good encryption. use proxy servers. use Tor. use Blackhat Linux. learn some shit. and, above all... JUST ASSUME THEY ARE ATTEMPTING (probably successfully) TO WATCH EVERYTHING.

Re: Re: Perhaps not confirmation, but...

Fbi doesn't normally get involved in grand theft auto cases.... your MobileSurveilanceFBI is more likely to be Anonymous (as in 'we do not forget, we do not forgive', not simple an unidentified individual).... or some other hacker group that may or may not be allied with Anonymous

Re: FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN SSID

I think you're right, because I started seeing the same thing around my neighborhood, and as I checked out the signal on an analyser, the traffic patterns didn't match any known consumer WAP-type-device I've seen in the last 30 years that I've worked with this sort of thing.

I'm going to be keeping an eye out for this SSID, and if I see it again, it'll be time to sniff them out, or maybe call in a different team of feds, saying "there are these middle eastern guys hanging out in a van across from my building... I think I heard them say something about an explosion!". It'll be 2 minutes before the area is crawling with LEAs.

It's not what you think

I'll be brief because the fact is its quicker. This isn't - as in Is NOT - the FBI or other law enforcement, or any government body or similar. But you should Worry a great deal if these Pop up on your wifi. You really should.
Maybe a few people name their wifi to try scare people or for a laugh.
But let me ask you does it appear and diss appear periodically, are there other "funny" or "strange" wifi names around? Do they do the same? Like maybe if you analyzed it, and looked at the graph they go from 0 to peak very briefly and then back down to 0 again, periodically? And always weak, no matter how much you move or try locate them?
Almost like its just one signal cycling throug fake macs and fake names. Like when one drops to 0 another suddenly peaks. Or maybe like none of it exists external to your device at all. Like maybe there's some other network activity or "APs" that is far more something you should be wary of - because you are already under total scrutiny, have not had any privacy for some time, are being monitored and having your online prescence manipulated by someone else. And worse. Maybe it's just for their own entertainment, maybe they don't like you, maybe there's a goal it doesn't matter. But - there is one person or a number of persons living close by who are involved, and you can remove the power they have in every tech aspect that way. Even a team of security or penetration experts is not expert at everything. And a godlike tech master generally is less good at being physically manipulated, if you have to. And extremely vulnerable to analog or mechanical forms of surveillance. But you must play well or you won't get to do any of that. Feed them, but don't underestimate them ever - you need to be convincing to yourself. So act like you are onto something, and then make like you are just confusing the actual things with other things. Act like you know now its the cops. Act like you are going to get secure and fix your security on everything, which will not make any difference FYI, but you don't understand that. Google heaps of stuff that is related, and make out like you think that's what's happening. Act like you don't know that anything at all you do on your mobile/PC/console/tablet/router etc is going to somewhere else first and that's where you are getting your results and "Internet" from. Use analog surveillance on them. Non digital cams and audio. And go find out what government agency exists that might want to monitor entities like this. They might jump at the chance to actually build a case over months of it being done to you, if you can handle it. And you will get a good result as it'll be too late by the time they are aware to keep their jobs, or avoid conviction. Failing involving government, just corner one somewhere people don't get any mobile reception, and have a chat.
Whatever you do, just be aware of the fact often the best way to see your paranoia is justified is to do experiments that don't care if you are paranoid or not, scientific method brought a subjective animal into the age of reason. Use it always. And this post will be crazed paranoia to 99.99999% of people reading, of course it should really. But if even one person gets something else out of it then its done some good. Hello friend, you are like me. Well met.

I just did a search because I am traveling, sitting in a hotel room, and when trying to connect to the hotel wifi....the FBI surveillance truck came up as possible choices. I have never seen this before and why I did the search in the first place. Hard to believe it is true...but...

I just did a search because I am traveling, sitting in a hotel room, and when trying to connect to the hotel wifi....the FBI surveillance truck came up as possible choices. I have never seen this before and why I did the search in the first place. Hard to believe it is true...but...

Response to: Gabriel Tane on Aug 18th, 2011 @ 12:37pm

FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN

So i pretty much got here the same way y'all did GOOGLE what my wifi read whats funny is that two weeks ago on Circle and platte here in Colorado Springs i saw three Homeland security SUVs with this written on the side of the DHS logo it read FEDERAL PROTECTION AGENCY OR SEVICES one of those two and now yesterday I drive on circle by a school and FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN it creeped me out FUCK BIG GOVERNMENT.

dot servalence

Response to: Donnicton on Aug 18th, 2011 @ 12:38pm

Fbi screw us over everyday. They have been after my friend frank the bank ackerfor years. ThThey domt know the first thing about messing with the mafia. My house is on the top security with top surveillance. I am alarmed a footstep is even made out side the propert with is .78 miles away from my u derground home.

Weird Plates and Surveillance

I've jotted down and posted on blogs and such various license plates of vans (like the white pedo file fbi surveillance vans) and other vehicles. Strangely afterwards all the cars "following" me have NEWLY registered temp plates or customized plates "2CUTE4U" and shit following me around.

I just want them off my ass. They know exactly what i do and how the fuck i do it.

The vans exist, just jot down and post on a social networking site all the plates you suspect and see how everything changes.

FBI_SURVEILLANCE_VAN

Why would the FBI transmit a signal at all from a "van" - Seems unbelievably costly to go after a petifile with that much effort. We are talking some top-notch mother fuckers here people. They don't have to lift their fat asses off their 5k dollar office chairs to see what your doing... Lastly, with the CryfI naming - always thought it was a good idea to fudge with the neighbors a bit... "I_See_You_Through_Your_Blinds" or "DONT_TURN_AROUND"

Re: Old Joke

I have seen the same thing the last few weeks!!!
"FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN" Actually it has only came up on the weekends. I post this in curiosity as this is what I have seen starting every friday till monday! Lol my internet goes out and I have to restart my system I click onto connections ad there it is!! I tried it 3 times this week and it was not there.. Guess what it happened again today around 5 on friday!! Is this someone being an ass or are they around??

There are hundreds of people setting up that faked name "FBI surveillance Van" It is very popular around major truck stops.
Truck drivers do it for fun too.

Thank about it...do you REALLY think that the FBI is stupid enough to make it publicly known and list that where anyone can see it? It would be like; THIS IS THE FBI, WE ARE OUTSIDE IN THIS BLACK VAN ACROSS THE STREET AND WE ARE GOING TO RAID YOUR HOUSE AT 5PM SO HIDE YOUR STASH AND RUN SO THAT WE WILL NOT CATCH YOU BEFORE WE RAID YOU!"

Response to: Anonymous Coward on Aug 18th, 2011 @ 12:53pm

Actually, in my neighborhood for awhile, 6 days a week, I had something pop up on my iPhone's wifi that said EXACT SAME THING: FBI Surveillance Van. That was a couple months ago. Just the other day, driving down a main road there popped up a wifi SSID that said FBI Surveillance Van 4. All I know is they are LOCKED, and creeping the FUCK out of me, which is why I googled it & found this. It'd appear YES.....the FBI is THAT STUPID! I just want to know wth is going on!!!

Re: Surveillance van

I love in australia. I quiet island. Never before seen this until yesterday. Seems a bit suss as no one around here would do such a thing. My neighbour and i talk conspiracy a lot. So when we see this it is a real threat. If anyone is having the same issue. Ask yourself, what things are you looking up on the net, conspiracy? What are you discussing etc. The real danger of the new world, globalisation,and the new technologies they are using. They can listen in to your general conversations. I dont think its a coincidence this fbi surveillance van is popping up around the world.

NSA mobile van

I've noticed these ID's for a few years now and recently while driving I passed a vehicle that caught the corner of my sight jus off a busy main road. It was white and lots of antennas were attached to the rear and top of van. Because of my past recognition of these WiFi id's I turned back and caught 3photos also scanned for my wifi networks and what do u think popped up and became stronger as a neared it? Yup so letsc c if this picture makes it.....I believe it very alive and active although no idea y exactly. CALL ME A BELIEVER!

FBISurveillanceVan

Not sure how or why but I have the same thing in my neighborhood sure enough when you look at WiFi connections on your phone iPad etc, you see 1 named FBI Surveillance Van.So not sure if there is indeed a stakeout or just a wise guy neighbor, anyhow if your not doing anything wrong no need for concern correct? but still seems invasive has hit home for sure.

Re: It's not what you think

Sorry but you're are wrong stupid junkie. I tracked one down and they are real.They have U.S. government tags. I can send you some pics. It makes me wonder if you are one of them trying to hide them to cover up something. By your post, you sound like a G-Man.

i dotn bieleve its a joke here is why

i was completely un aware of this Fbi surveillance wifi stuff . I just not even 30 minutes ago came across an unknown and un accounted for ssid of FBI surveillance van #7 I say un accounted for because I know all the ssid of the wifi spots within my neighbor hood but I just seen it pop up for about 15 mintues maybe more who know I just happened to look at the time it was lik 1.30 am was on Skype showed my girlfriend the ssid I thought was odd and showed her on vid from my iphone and the nit was gone

Re:

Stop all the pussy footing around with "here is what I want to say, but I'm such a dick fuck stick I'm too ignorant to know I'm a fuck stick, which means I'm BRILLIANT in my own eyes kinda Guy, would REALLY WANT TO SAY CURIOSITY CAN BE AT BLAME....someones little sister, 14 yrs old, curious, is inquisitive and likes Google, who just so happens to raise this the same? means she is labeled as....hUMMPH!!! your a liar. fuck off, and if your not lying, find another hobby other than carrying the act of what you accuse innocent people of being.

FBI Surveillance Van 2, wi-fi

I've recently seen this wi-fi connection pop-up in my neighborhood and have been tempted to report them to the local authorities, "FBI Surveillance Van 2". If their running an investigate I really don't want to interfere or cause them problems either. They could be looking missing children, law breakers of all sorts and I just want to stay out of their way. I believe you're either part of the problem or the solution.

Most likely someone, many someones have renamed their portable device's hotspot with this name and that's why they come and go. Google "renaming your portable device hotspot SSID name":) (courtesy, a retired detective)

FBI Surveillance Van

It's trueâ€¦I've been logging on lately and seeing it. I took a screen shot but I don't know how to upload it here. But it's true. The custodian found some binders in the garbage showing how to make a bomb and they called the police. They then called Homeland security, I believe. Ever since then (a few weeks ago) I've been seeing the FBI Surveillance Van whenever I go to connect.

Re: Old Joke

Weird

I'm seeing this on my wifi also, but it only shows up when I have just joined my wifi and have the network list open at the same time. If I close it, then go back in they have disappeared.

One is named FBI SURVEILLANCE VAN and another is called Area 51. Could be my crazy neighbors, but seeing the names got me curious which is how I got here. I can post links to screenshots of my comp if you guys would like to see.

Re: New ideas for SSID?

idiot

Do you think the FBI are stupid enough to name their wifi that?! Its just someone messing round with idiots like you, no governments forces in any field are dumb enough to basically tell you they are there

ufo activity in around ojai ca 93023

iv been seeing so much activity above ojai ranger station up on nordhoff ridge in fact i find ufo ships daily in the mountains. all i can do is to imform as many people as i can cause there everware in the foothills in and around ojai calif. 93023. we all have a realy big problem there all over and no one knows it realy weird no one knows that there thousands of them in spots in the mountain above ojai . i find them all day long above ojai. i just pray they are not here to take over the planet cause

Re: ufo activity in around ojai ca 93023

all i can do is to inform the world of the take over of all the space craft that are showing up day after day and the realy big ufo ships showing up in the early morining and docking in the foothills around ojai or how the giant rock formations disareir with no trace exept for a small pile of rocks remane. i dont know what to do nex exept to keep on studying them amd keep informing everyony of them..... maybe ond day i can capture one of them and bring it into ojai i was thinking some were in down town ojai...... a ufo orb . that way they will come to rescue it and every one will see them or maybe do some realy strange to the ufos to were they will come for me

youtube/ ufo encounter lion st. 330am/ red orbs came to study me in the night

FBI SSID

I have seen it

Just a couple of mins ago I was reserving my wifi when I saw two FBI-servaillance van wifi ssid and I thought it was add but I just remmembered swing some cops around my neighborhood around 7 or 8 pm when I was checking if I could walk my dog because it was raining. I thought it was weird that he was just standing there by himself looking around like if he was looking for someone.

Re:

I went to my brothers house and there are two wifi networks one says "FBI Surveillance_5GEXT" and the other says "FBI Surveillance_2GEXT" they have matching MAC addresses and they are both Intel corp Mailaysia from searching the MAC address on three different websites all came up with the sameAnd both networks are need passwords is this the real FBI or a Neighbor?

It's true

Wifi connection to fbi surveillance

I am not a teen and not kid. This in fact actually did happen and both my husband and I saw when searching for a wifi network that there was a surveillance. K it said the first 2 letters of the county I live in then it said surveillance.van at end was a few odd numbers and letters. It seemed odd to me that in public if they were doing some sort of surveillance they would actually show their name on a open or locked wifi network but it did in fact show up

FBI SURVEILLance wifi

This morning i was getting online and seen for the 3rd time in 2 months the wifi name fbisurveillancevan ive seen this in numerous different spots around my city and its starting to weird me out.. so check this out i decide to go get something outta my truck and as soon as i walk out the door i praCtically walked right into about 5 different guys directly outside my door all in slacks and dress shirts and ties and they immediately say they are with some church group gave me sum lame handout flyer they were chumming for fishys with.. i snatched it outta the dudes hand then walked to my truck i know i smelled bacon though...